Vegaøyan – The Vega Archipelago

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A Cultural Landscape of Resilience: Vegaøyan - The Vega Archipelago

The Vega Archipelago, a cluster of approximately 6,500 small islands situated in the Norwegian Sea, offers a unique glimpse into the resilient spirit of humanity in one of Earth's harshest environments. Stretching across 107,294 hectares, this UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2004, lies primarily within Vega Municipality, Norway.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

A cluster of dozens of islands centred on Vega, just south of the Arctic Circle, forms a cultural landscape of 107,294 ha, of which 6,881 ha is land. The islands bear testimony to a distinctive frugal way of life based on fishing and the harvesting of the down of eider ducks, in an inhospitable environment. There are fishing villages, quays, warehouses, eider houses (built for eider ducks to nest in), farming landscapes, lighthouses and beacons. There is evidence of human settlement from the Stone Age onwards. By the 9th century, the islands had become an important centre for the supply of down, which appears to have accounted for around a third of the islanders’ income. The Vega Archipelago reflects the way fishermen/farmers have, over the past 1,500 years, maintained a sustainable living and the contribution of women to eiderdown harvesting.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (v): The Vega archipelago reflects the way generations of fishermen/farmers have, over the past 1500 years, maintained a sustainable living in an inhospitable seascape near the Arctic Circle, based on the now unique practice of eider down harvesting, and it also celebrate the contribution made by women to the eider down process.

Encyclopedia Record: Vegaøyan

Vegaøyan (Norwegian) or the Vega Archipelago (English) is a group of islands in the Norwegian Sea in Nordland county, Norway. The archipelago is mostly located in Vega Municipality. Since 2004, the archipelago has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This cluster of around 6,500 small islands just south of the Arctic Circle, surrounds the main island of Vega and has been inhabited since the Stone Age. Other larger islands in the group include Igerøya, Ylvingen, and Søla.

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